Free Verse Poetry

A large collection of free verse poetry anthologies. Go to the nonfiction shelves in the children’s section of your public library and look in the “808’s-811’s” for a wealth of resources.

Description:

As Georgia Heard says, “We all have poetry inside of us, and poetry is for everyone.” One of the best ways to improve student writing is to begin by teaching them to write free verse poetry. Free verse poetry differs from “form” poems such as haiku, cinquain, and rhyming couplet in that it doesn’t follow rules or a regular pattern of rhythm or rhyme. This can be intimidating at first, but with specific mini-lessons like those described here, students quickly learn that they, too, “have poetry inside of them.” Reading poetry aloud to students on a regular basis is a must!